And Splashing Pools
Prologue:In the Night Sky Three cats sat on a large, cool rock. Their pelts seemed to glow with light, though their eyes were harsh and scary for anyone looking into them. They glowed so brightly that it looked like they weren't even cats: just cat-shaped suns with big, floating eyes. Oh, their eyes! Cold, hard glares that made your heart sink to your paws and feel as if you were standing on the edge of death. Hah, that's actually pretty funny. Jewelstar thought, bounding across the night sky towards the three cats. Her pelt danced with stars, and her face was pointed. She was a siamese cat with a brown face and paws, and though some would think her ugly if the stars around her didn't make her look so beautiful. She wasn't alone. Next to her ran three others: Grassbreeze, Sleekstar, and Blackpaw. All of them were great warriors of StarClan who had served each of their clans greatly. But she could see a bit of fear in the eyes of all her companions as well. Jewelstar gulped as they neared the three cats, who were still sitting on the rock, that turned out to be the moon. "Would you look at that." one of the cats said in a creepy, echoey voice. This cat's eyes were a sickly green color. "They've come to visit us, they have." the second one said, his eyes were the brown-gray color of dead grass. Jewelstar concentrated on not stammering as she finally stepped onto the moon. "Yes, we have." "What does StarClan want with us?" green said. "You left us long ago and said you would never need us again." Jewelstar nodded. "We did. But we are not here for your help." "Then why are you here?" the final one spoke in an even more bone-chilling voice, not even looking at the StarClan cats. "Call your brother off!" Sleekstar hissed. His normally smooth gray tabby fur stood on end as he spoke. All his dignity as a great leader of DarkClan was gone the moment the final glowing cat had spoken. "He's put up a barrier, preventing us from leaving the night sky to talk with our clans." Grassbreeze explained, her ginger fur still lying flat through some sort of self control that none of the others had. "All who have died since are trapped below, roaming as ghosts and unable to do anything." "He also has stopped us from taking a cat who was ready to die." Blackpaw said, shuffling his black and gray paws. "This isn't the first time ghosts were denied from StarClan." the third glowing cat reminded them. "Someone has been roaming down there for a long time, and you've done nothing." The four StarClan cats exchanged a pained glance, then turned back to the three glowing cats. "That may be, but you gave us control over the deaths of our clanmates and the ability to warn them. You can't just take it back." Sleekstar said. The final cat stood. "Unity is important." he turned to face them, revealing his eyes to be completely white with no pupils or irises. "But instead of doing what's important, the clans are splitting up more and more each day. We've planned this for centuries, and we're not letting you stop us. The time for clans has come to an end. They must join... or die." Chapter 1:A Corporeal Friend "It's the full moon tonight." Dewpaw sat in the center of camp, tail curled around her paws. She was a beautiful golden she-cat with brown paws. Lakekit, a blue-gray she-cat with white spots and a long tail, sat beside her. "Chipear told me that long ago, before the events of the golden rain legend, all four clans would meet in peace and discuss recent events." Lakekit told her. "Chipear is an elder of SteelClan?" Dewpaw asked. Lakekit nodded. "I remember Sweetflag telling me about a big battle that happened when I was just a kit. Rubylight was still an apprentice then, and Sweetflag told me how hard it was to heal a big wound she got on her shoulder from Chipear. She complained on and on, wondering how Chipear could even still fight at his age. More than six moons later, I'm not surprised he's in the Elder's Den." Lakekit had no response, she just sat and listened to Dewpaw talk. The only other cats that were out in WaterClan camp were Dreamscar and Sootstream. Both avoided the kit, Sootstream especailly. Lakekit was saddened by how coldly Sootstream acted towards her. The warrior had been a friend, one of the few cats in WaterClan who trusted her and defended her from the suspicous glances she had been getting ever since she joined them. That was until Sootstream's brother, Duskpond, had attempted to kill Lakekit a moon before. When Lakekit told the story, everyone, including all her friends, believed she was lying. But Sootstream had never forgiven Lakekit for accusing her beloved brother of attmepting murder on a kit. "You seem to have recovered well." Dewpaw was saying ot the kit. "Not many cats get out of Deathpond alive. You managed it with a bitten tail, a twisted paw, and a bump on the head. You're a very lucky cat to live to five moons." Lakekit nodded in agreement. "Do you think Icestar will let me an apprentice when I'm six moons old?" she asked. "Of course she will! Why wouldn't she?" "I still don't think anyone trusts me..." Lakekit sighed and her ears drooped. "I trust you." Dewpaw said comfortingly, draping her tail over the kit's shoulders. "Duckpaw trusts you too. And Daisysong and Sweetflag, and though Lightfang sure doesn't like it, her kits have taken a liking to you." Dewpaw smiled kindly. "And I know Icestar must trust you. I'm sure the rest of the clan will warm up to you soon. When you become an apprentice, you'll learn how to fight and hunt for your clan, then they'll see what a great clanmate you can be." Lakekit smiled. "Thanks, Dewpaw. You're great." Chapter 2:Pretend Friend Lakekit sighed as she forced herself to eat the small minnow Duckpaw had brought her earlier. She was now alone in the Apprentice's Den. Sunrise had come and gone, and now the sun was starting to sink and she still hadn't eaten anything. For nearly a moon her stomach had constantly felt queasy, but Sweetflag nor Dewpaw could figure out what was wrong. Well, to tell the truth, they did know what was wrong. Lakekit's diet had suddenly changed from meaty rabbits and shrews to mostly-scale fish. The real queasy-ness would have probably gone away by now if she had been eating only fish, but she had gotten away with eating some mice Duckpaw had caught just for her. But, with Leaf-fall just around the corner and the air starting to chill, one couldn't be picky. Lakekit scrapped off most of the scales and ate the meat, though no matter how hard she tried there was always more scales to hurt her teeth. "I hate eating fish." she muttered. "I could go catch a shrew from SteelClan territory." Shadowpelt offered. Lakekit shook her head. "It's against the warrior code to steal prey! Plus, they'd probably smell the shrew on me and they'd be even more suspicous." The kit sighed as the thought that was always at the front of her brain was brought back into focus. "Maybe they'll accept me more if I eat more fish, or if I catch my own mice and shrew." Shadowpelt nodded and was about to speak when they heard pawsteps. Lakekit looked at the entrance and saw Sugarpaw enter. "Evening, Lakekit." the calico greeted her. Lakekit noticed the apprentice was limping. "Sugarpaw, is your paw okay?" "Oh, yes. I stumbled on some sharp rocks and hurt my pad, it's no big deal but Sweetflag says I should rest for the day." Just after that, Moonpaw entered. "Sugarpaw, Daisysong told me what happened. Are you okay?" "Yeah, I just dropped all the prey was holding into the stream." Sugarpaw suddenly glared at Lakekit. "And as soon as I stepped in here the kit started annoying me again." "Oh she did, did she?" Moonpaw growled. "What's the surprise there? That's all she does, aside from insulting our deputy." "Hey!" Lakekit hissed. "I just asked how your paw was doing!" "Yeah, and fish walk on land." Sugarpaw retorted. The two apprentices left, leaving Lakekit and Shadowpelt. "She sure is nicer when Moonpaw's not around." Shadowpelt commented. His fur seemed fluffed with anger, but it was hard for Lakekit to tell, because his shape wasn't very defined in the darkness of the den. But Lakekit wasn't too interested in that, she was thinking about something Sugarpaw had said. "Lakekit? What's up?" her shadowy friend asked. "I know what I can do to help the clan!" Lakekit exclaimed. "Come on!" Chapter 3:Streamside Kits Lakekit grinned as she spotted some furry bundles in the stream. She and Shadowpelt were outside of WaterClan camp, walking the by same stream that she had fallen in when fleeing the Deathpond creature. "The prey's over there, Shadowpelt." Lakekit pointed with her tail. "And they're in shallow water; they might still be good!" "But if they aren't, I don't think anyone will appreciate you sneaking out of camp." the shadow said. "Is it just me, or is the stream smaller than usual?" Lakekit asked, ignoring what Shadowpelt had said. The edges of the creek bed looked oddly dry and the water was flowing thinner than usual. Oh well, she was quite happy she didn't have to walk through too much water. Though she had been living with WaterClan for a moon, she still didn't like to get wet. The kit waded through the gently flowing water and soon reached the bundles of fur. When she was within a mouse-length of them, she saw movement and heard a frightened squeak. At that moment, she realized these bundles weren't prey. "Shadowpelt, they're kits!" Lakekit shouted. "Help me get them back to shore!" She grabbed the scruff of one of the kits and raced over to the shore. Shadowpelt followed her with the two other kits, setting them down on dry land. Lakekit started licking them dry, happy to find them all alive enough to squirm. "They don't smell like WaterClan or SteelClan." "Maybe we should take them back to camp?" Shadowpelt suggested. "The others will know who they are." "But I can't carry all three, and it'll be pretty weird if some floating kits drifted into camp." Lakekit thought for a moment, eyes gazing all around for any ideas. "We could put them in between those two rocks and go get help." Lakekit pointed at a thin crack between two rocks. "Okay, you go find some help and I'll watch after them." Shadowpelt said, and he and Lakekit safely set the kits in between the two rocks. Lakekit them turned and ran off in the direction of camp. Just as Lakekit reached camp, she spotted Duckpaw about to slip through the sweetflag wall. "Duckpaw, wait!" she called to the apprentice. Duckpaw looked around with surprise, dropping some prey he was holding. "Lakekit? Why are you outside camp again?" "No time!" Lakekit said hurriedly. "I need you to go get Dewpaw and meet me back here. It's urgent!" Duckpaw considered it for a second, then decided to listen to the kit. "Alright, I'll get Dewpaw and I'll be right back." he picked up his prey again and disappeared into camp. Lakekit waited and waited for what seemed like forever before the sibling apprentices exited camp and ran over to her. "What's the matter, Lakekit? Is someone hurt?" Dewpaw asked worriedly. "Sort of." Lakekit turned and ran back in the direction of where she had left Shadowpelt and the kits. "I need you two to follow me!" "Okay, so you went to get Sugarpaw's lost prey and instead you found three kits?" Duckpaw asked, running alongisde Lakekit. Lakekit nodded. "They didn't smell like SteelClan or WaterClan, so I don't know where they came from, but they might be sick. They could have been in that stream all day!" Suddenly, Lakekit heard a screech of fury. "Oh no, what was that?" "What was what?" Dewpaw asked. "I didn't hear anything." Oh, right. Lakekit realized. Shadowpelt must have screeched, so they didn't hear it! But this must be bad. ''She increased her speed as the sound of the trickling stream reached her ears. Just as she spotted the rocks where the kits were left, she saw the danger. A long, wriggling brown creature with diamonds on its back was curling around the rocks. It had a pointed head, and its entire face moved when it opened it mouth reveal long fangs. It kept smashing its fangs against the rocks, trying to get to the kits inside. Chapter 4:Snake!! Without a second thought, Lakekit and Duckpaw both raced towards the creature. Almost simultainiously, Shadowpelt and Dewpaw yowled, "Get back, you fools!" Apprentice and kit halted in their tracks, both looking at Dewpaw. Shadowpelt was standing next to the medicine apprentice, glaring at the creature. "That's a snake!" Dewpaw explained. "Not only will those fnags tear through you, but they're poisonous! We need to think about we're going to save those kits." "We need to think fast." Lakekit pointed out. Snake, realizing it couldn't fit its head in the crack, was now attempting to scare the kits out with its thinner tail. "Can it climb trees?" Duckpaw asked. Dewpaw nodded. "How smart is it?" he asked. Dewpaw shrugged. "Hey, I know!" Lakekit bounced. "I'll lead it away, you two grab the kits. You'll see what I've got planned." Dewpaw looked scared. "Lakekit, I don't know... be very careful..." "I will." the kit nodded. "Besides, I'm the one the clan needs the least." "Don't think like that, Lakekit." Dewpaw licked the smaller she-cat forehead. "We care about you, so please come back safely." Lakekit smiled. "Be ready." and she ran in a large circle around to the other side of the snake. When she was out of hearing distance of the apprentices, she hwispered to Shadowpelt. "Please follow me and be ready to save me if anything happens." "Don't worry, I'll be with you." Shadowpelt promised her. With the strength given to her by the support of her friends, Lakekit ran over to the snake. "Come and get me, you old worm!" she hissed, slicing at the snake's long body. It hissed back, snapping its long fangs at Lakekit. That was all the warning the she-cat needed; she ran towards where Shadowpelt was standing, the snake following her. Once the last of its coils were gone from the rocks, she saw Dewpaw and Duckpaw race towards the kits. Lakekit ran for a long time, until she spotted the familiar bramble wall she remembered all too well. She stopped for a moment to make sure the snake was still slithering after her, then clawed a small hole in the wall and slipped through. Inside, she saw the large pool where she knew the dangerous creature of Deathpond lived. Luckily, it seemed to be underwater and she wouldn't have to deal with it. There was a hiss of pain, and Lakekit looked behind her to see that the snake had started slithering through the brambles. Its scales protected it from the thorns, but when it tried to move backward the thorns dug under the scales and hit its flesh. Lakekit quickly climbed the only tree on this side of the barrier and launched herself back to the other side. Quickly, knowing the snake couldn't move backwards, she grabbed its tail and tied it around a large branch. She ran back in the direction of the stream. "What happened? What did you do? Are you hurt?" Dewpaw asked the moment Lakekit ran into view. "I got it stuck in the brambles by Deathpond." Lakekit explained. "It should be able to get out alive, but it probably won't bother us for awhile." "Let's get these kits back to camp." Duckpaw said, voice muffled through the scruff of the kit he was holding. "They're MindClan kits, by the way, but we'll need to make sure they're okay before we bring them back to their mother." Chapter 5:Kits in Camp "Are they okay, Dewpaw?" Lakekit asked, trying to look into the medicine den. "They're fine. A bit spooked, though. We're sending Rubylight to take them to their mother." Dewpaw exited the den. "Do you think I can go too? Just to make sure they get home safe?" Lakekit asked. "Don't you trust Rubylight?" Sweetflag followed her apprentice out of the den, pushing the MindClan kits with her. "And MindClan won't like too many WaterClan cats in their territory." "I just want to make sure they get there okay." Lakekit looked at the three small kits. They sat there silently, eyes wide with fear. One was a light brown she-kit with a bright pink nose, one was a darker brown tom, and the last was a dark brown she-cat almost identical to her brother. "Why are you so worried about the enemys' kits?" Moonpaw appeared with a small fish in his jaws. "Here's some prey. You said you wanted the kits to eat before they left." he added to Sweetflag. "But we don't like fish." the tom kit protested. The light brown she-kit smacked him. "I'm too hungry to care!" she meowed. Lakekit watched as Dewpaw ripped some smalelr peices off the fish for the kits. Sweetflag walked off to go talk with Rubylight, and Moonpaw left for his den. "Thanks for saving us, miss Dewpaw." the darker brown she-kit meowed when she finished eating. "Lakekit here saved you, not me. She was very brave." the medicine apprentice corrected the kit, waving her tail at Lakekit. "Thank you Lakekit." the she-kit said. "Why are you even thanking them, Yewkit?" the tom kit asked. "They're WaterClan!" "But they saved us, Molekit." the pink-nosed kit said. "''You're WaterClan, you liked the fish, Pinkkit!" Molekit teased his sister. "No I didn't!" "Yes you did!" "I didn't!" "You did!" "Kits, it's time we take you back to your mother." Rubylight padded overm breaking up the arguement. "And I wouldn't make fun of WaterClan in the middle of our camp." "Is Lakekit coming? She saved us!" Yewkit asked. "No, Lakekit's got to stay in camp." Rubylight swept the kit away with her tail. "Now let's take you home. I suppose your mother's very worried." "The only ones who respect me aren't even in this clan." Lakekit sighed quietly to herself, padding back to her den. Chapter 6:Star Problems "This is a fight that I'm afraid we can't win, Jewelstar." Blackpaw whispered quietly. As night fell over MaPluvia, Jewelstar, Sleekstar, Grassbreeze, and Blackpaw gathered on the edge of Silverpelt. At the words, Jewelstar slid her in and out and her fluffed up. "I can't believe we're even considering fighting this fight." Grassbreeze meowed. "Blackpaw's right. We can't challenge the brothers, even if the one in MaPluvia isn't helping them. There must be another way." "What other way is there?" Jewelstar hissed quietly. The other three looked taken aback by the harshness in her tone, so she made herself clam down. "They won't listen to reason. We have to use violence to get back our power." "Violence isn't the only way to solve issues." Grassbreeze reminded her. "You were- and still are- a great leader. And as a leader you should know that battles that cannot be won shouldn't be fought." "We can't just let them carry out their plans!" Jewelstar wailed, standing and taking a few paces backwards. She stared at Grassbreeze like the ginger she-cat was attacking her. "That would mean the destruction of the clans!" Sleekstar padded over to her slowly, looking torn. "Your loyalty is valuble, but not necessary now. I know it's a bit weird to hear this from me, but you need to calm down and think." Jewelstar slid her claws out and crouched, staring at her three companions. She felt betrayed. Didn't they trust her judgement? "This isn't about the fate of the clans." said, horrified. "You still don't trust me! Just like in life!" "Jewelstar, don't be ridiculous!" Grassbreeze padded over to the troubled leader. "We just think we have other options. Fighting against the brothers is suicide, but there is another way." "What is this 'other way'?" "We don't know yet, but we're all very wise cats. There must be some way." Chapter 7:Ghostly Apparition "You're going to be an apprentice soon." Dewpaw meowed, sitting on the edge of WaterClan's camp pond. Lakekit could barely see her through the splashing water she was kicking up in her attempt to swim. "I don't know how I can be an apprentice when I can't even swim." Lakekit sighed, kicking herself through the water until her paws found the land. "Despite what the rest of WaterClan seems to think sometimes, all cats can be useful. Just because you aren't good at one thing doesn't mean you're useless." That wasn't even what I said, but Dewpaw knows what I'm worried about. She's not the much older than me, but she's so wise. "But this isn't just 'one thing', it's everything! It's been a moon since I've joined WaterClan, and I still can't swim. Half this territory is water and-" Lakekit suddenly cut herself off and sniffed the air. She scented something... familiar. She wasn't sure what or who it was, it didn't smell like any animal she knew. She looked around, and didn't see any odd creatures. "Lakekit, I'm sure you'll find your pla-... is something wrong?" Dewpaw stopped mid-lecture when she realized Lakekit looked worried. "I smell something- or someone- odd." Lakekit opened her jaws to taste the air. The strange scent remained, but had no trail. Where was it coming from? She stared around the camp, and her eyes fell open something. What was it? Maybe it was a small, skinny white tom, maybe it was nothing but air. She couldn't make him out, and soon the smell and vision was already gone. "I-i'll be right back." The kit raced off, heading for the small hill on the other side of WaterClan camp. That's where she had seen the vision. However, when she made it there, nothign remained. "I didn't see anything." Shadowpelt told her, appearing at her side and speaking now that they were alone. "I... thought I saw a white tom here. He didn't look like any cat I know, and he doesn't smell like an enemy clan..." Lakekit sniffed the grass where she thought he ad been standing. "He didn't even smell like a cat..." "I think you're imagining things." Shadowpelt nudged her back towards camp. "You're just stressed about your apprentice ceremony. You should catch some sleep and maybe you'll feel better." Lakekit sighed and padded back towards the apprentices' den. Shadowpelt was probably right. Chapter 8:The Day Has Come Lakekit shivered as her fur touched the water. It was early morning and the pool in WaterClan camp was freezing. She and Shadowpelt were relatively alone. The only exception was Splashberry, who was grooming herself by the empty fresh-kill pile. The red dappled she-cat was far enough away that the kit and her shadowy friend could speak freely, but Lakekit thought she saw Splashberry give her a few odd looks. "I'm hungry." Lakekit sighed quietly, stepping away from the water. "I wish I could one of the minnows in the pool. I'm just not fast enough." "I could always catch one for you." Shadowpelt offered. "No. I want to be a good WaterClan cat, not a useless cat who has her friend do everything for her." the kit gazed into the softly rippling water. She heard pawsteps and looked around. Duskpond was exiting his den. He padded over to Splashberry, ignoring Lakekit entirely. "Good morning." the deputy yawned to his mate. "What are you doing up so early? It's barely dawn." "I was just thinking." Splashberry meowed. "Am I supposed to be on any patrols today?" "Not until sunhigh." "Then I'll go back to sleep. See you at sunhigh." she trotted towards the warriors' den, leaving Duskpond looking suspicous. The deputy continued ignoring Lakekit and padded towards the apprentices' den. Lakekit stood and ran after him. Maybe if Duckpaw isn't on any patrols he can teach me some fighting moves. she thought. She stopped before she got too close to Duskpond and waited until he woke the apprentices and walked away. She didn't want to go near him, and was honestly happy he was ignoring her. Memories of him trying to lead her to her death came to front of her mind and she edged farther away from him. The three apprentices exited the den. Moonpaw and Sugarpaw stumbled by without noticing Lakekit, but Duckpaw stopped. "Hey, Lakekit! Isn't today the day you reach six moons?" The kit had nearly forgotten! "You're right, it is! I wonder if Icestar will let me be an apprentice." "Why wouldn't she?" Duckpaw sat and started grooming to wake himself up. "It'll be great to train with you. I wonder who your mentor will be?" "Hopefully someone who actually likes me." Lakekit was suddenly worried. What if Icestar made her mentor Duskpond? Duckpaw was only Duskpond's apprentice temporarily, Lightfang was Duckpaw's real mentor but was still in the nursery, so maybe Icestar would him to be her real mentor. "Or maybe it will be someone who doesn't trust you." Duckpaw meowed, "That way they'll push you harder." Maybe push me off a cliff. ''Lakekit frowned. "Don't be so down, Lakekit." Shadowpelt told her. "This will be happy. No matter what mentor you get, you'll be training and not just sitting around camp. This may mark the day where they start respecting you." "May all cats of WaterClan gather around the pond!" Lakekit jolted from her half-asleep state when she heard Icestar give the call. The kit had nearly fallen asleep by the empty fresh-kill pile. Her belly rumbled; there hadn't been any prey all day, and the hunting patrols had all returned empty-pawed or with such little food that it barely fed the elders. She was hungry, but at least she could try to hunt soon. Icestar sat on a stone jutting out of the water in the pool and all the cats of WaterClan gathered around the shore. As Lakekit padded forward and sat amoung the crowd, she tried to follow the white and gray she-cat's eyes. Who would her mentor be? "Lakekit, please come forward." Lakekit waded through the water and clsoer to the stone, making sure that her paws could still touch solid ground. She didn't need the embarassment of sinking during her ceremony. "You've reached six moons, and you are now ready to become an apprentice. Until the day you recive your warrior name, you will be known as Lakepaw. Your mentor will be Splashberry." ''Splashberry? Lakepaw gulped. Oh no. Splashberry was Moonpaw's mother and Duskpond's mate! "Splashberry, you are brave and a great hunter. Please pass these traits on to your new apprentice." Splashberry waded forward into the water and touched noses with Lakepaw. The red dappled she-cat's face was hard to read and Lakepaw didn't know how she felt. Would Splashberry bully her like Moonpaw, try to kill her like Duskpond, hate her like so many others in the clan, or trust her like Duckpaw and Dewpaw? Chapter 9:Collapse "Ready for your tour of the territory?" Splashberry asked Lakepaw. The warrior had a small smile and looked surprisingly cheerful. "Yes!" Lakepaw said excitedly, happy that Splashberry didn't seem too displeased with Icestar's descision. "Then let's take the other apprentices. Go get them for me." Splashberry waved her tail over to where the group of apprentices sat chatting. The crowd had dispersed and Icestar had returned to her den, but the mentors and apprentices remained in the center of camp. Lakepaw ran over to them. "Hey Lake''paw''!" Duckpaw greeted her. "We're getting ready to head to the training pond, does Splashberry want you to come with us?" "Splashberry wanted me to ask if you guys can join us on my tour of the territory." Lakepaw meowed. "We can, but we'll have to leave you when we pass the training pond." Daisysong said, standing and waving with her tail for Sugarpaw and the others to follow. Lakepaw scampered back to Splashberry and the group left camp. "We've reached the MindClan border." Splashberry announced as a slightly familiar scent filled the air. Lakepaw recognized the scent as the same smell Pinkkit, Yewkit, and Molekit carried: MindClan. As the young she-cat looked around, she saw a mouse farther along the border. She waited until it stepped a little farther into Waterclan territory, then ran at it at top speed. She was very fast, but not quite fast enough. The mouse scurried away as fast as it could, trying to find cover. Lakepaw swerved around and chased the mouse back towards the other cats. Sugarpaw was the first to realize what was happening and she gave chase as well. The mouse saw her coming and swerved again, causing the she-cats to nearly collide. "I think it went this way!" Lakepaw turned and raced off in the direction the mouse had gone. Sugarpaw was right behind her. Suddenly, the ground felt oddly hollow under Lakepaw's paws. Then the ground was gone. Lakepaw scrabbled for solid ground as the dirt slipped away underneath her. Her claws dug away at the dirt as she vainly tried to get a grip on the crumbling dirt. Lower and lower she fell, ears getting clogged by dirt. The ground was to dry to hold place and dust clogged her nose. Why was the ground so dry? Her claws found a solid surface and she gripped it. She pulled herself up as the dirt around her fell further. Eventually, she felt teeth in her scruff as someone helped her up. She sneezed until she could breathe again and rubbed the dirt out of her eyes. The patrol was gazing over the edge of new, large hole in the ground. Daisysong had saved Lakepaw, but was now approaching the hole again. "The whole this just fell away under their paws!" Sootstream was saying. She held Moonpaw back with her tail. "It might not be done falling, get to more solid ground." "Sugarpaw!" Daisysong called into the hole. "Sugarpaw!" Lakepaw froze. Sugarpaw fell in too?! She got up and stumbled towards the edge of the hole and scanned the dirt for the calico apprentice. Suddenly, Daisysong leaped into the hole. It was a long drop, but she landed unhurt and ran over to a white paw sticking out of the dirt. She dug up Sugarpaw, who coughed and cleared the dirt from her nose before falling unconscious. Chapter 10:Nothing but Bad Luck Lakepaw ran ahead into camp while the rest of the patrol helped carry Sugarpaw. She skipped through the pool and ran right for the medicine den. "Sweetflag! Sweetflag!" Sweetflag poked her head out of the den. "Is someone hurt?" Then she spotted Lakepaw and saw how covered in dirt she was. "What in StarClan's name happened to you?" "Sugarpaw's hurt, the others are carrying her in now." Lakepaw explained. "The ground fell away under our paws! I got out but Sugarpaw fell and got covered in dirt." Sweetflag ran out into camp just as the patrol carried Sugarpaw through the pool. "Come, put her in my den. Duckpaw, can you go get Dewpaw for me? She's collecting herbs near the stream." Lakepaw grabbed a trout from the fresh-kill pile and entered the medicine den. Peeking in, she saw Sugarpaw was awake and had finished cleaning the dirt out of her fur. Her leg had broken when the dirt had crushed it and one of her ears was damaged, but at least she would live. "I brought some fresh-kill for you." Lakepaw dropped the trout in front of Sugarpaw. "Thanks, I'm hungry." Sugarpaw started to eat. She ignored Lakepaw and they sat in silence for awhile. "I'm glad you're going to be okay." Lakepaw meowed. "I'm not going to be okay." Sugarpaw muttered. "My leg's broken and I can't hear out of one ear. I don't know if I'll ever heal." she sighed and pushed away her half-finished trout. "I'm not hungry anymore." She curled up and Lakepaw left her to sleep. "Lakepaw!" Just as Lakepaw left the den, she saw Moonpaw running towards her. "Don't think you get away with this!" "... get away with what?" Lakepaw asked. "Trying to kill Sugarpaw!" Moonpaw hissed, his claws sliding out. "What do you think I did? I can't control the dirt! I didn't know the ground would fall away!" Lakepaw defended herself, backing up a bit in case Moonpaw decided to use his claws. "You're just a SteelClan spy! Sent here to try and kill all of us." "Enough, Moonpaw!" Splashberry ran in between them. She waved her tail to dismiss her son, and when Moonpaw reluctantly left she turned to Lakepaw. "It's not your fault, but you need to watch where you're going when running. Now go get some sleep, we'll continue our tour of the territory tomorrow." Lakepaw turned and padded towards the apprentices' den and curled up in her nest. She saw Shadowpelt standing beside her. "I've had nothing but bad luck since I came here." the she-cat muttered. "I'm sure Sugarpaw will be fine." Shadowpelt assured her. "And Moonpaw's always a jerk. Just be glad Splashberry's kind to you." "I am." Just as Lakepaw was about to close her eyes, she saw Shadowpelt leave the den. She dozed off, and a few minutes later she woke up again. She blearily opened her eyes and saw that Shadowpelt, nor any of the other apprentices, were in sight. However, someone was. When Lakepaw's tired eyes fell on him, they widened in surprise. It was the skinny, white tom from before! just as she registered him, he had vanished. She blinked a bit, then decided she had dreamed it and went back to sleep. Chapter 11:A Sad, Lonely Lakepaw Lakepaw shuddered as a cool wind chilled her. She was soaking wet, her thick fur heavy and dripping. She sat on the edge of the camp's pool, staring at the tiny minnows. Splashberry had told her to rest up after they had finished the tour of the territory today, but Lakepaw had too much energy to just sit around or sleep. "What'cha doing?" Duckpaw padded up beside her, dropping a trout. "Trying to fish." Lakepaw answered. "But all the minnow are on the other side of the pool." "I fell in, if you couldn't tell." Lakepaw shook out her fur, purposefully splashing Duckpaw. "Scared them all away." "Ah well, I brought you a trout." Duckpaw nudged the trout towards her. Lakepaw pushed it away. "No, thanks, I'm not hungry." She looked away and pretended to focus on the water, acting like she didn't notice Duckpaw's suspicous stare. Not long after, he got up and padded away. With everyone out of hearing distance, Shadowpelt appeared and spoke. "You haven't eaten since yesterday, are you really not hungry?" "Kind of." Lakepaw sighed. "I just feel guilty. I've taken so much food from them and haven't been giving back at all." "It's not your fault." Shadowpelt assured her. "Most 'paws can't hunt perfectly on their second day." "But I need to get them to trust me, and give back to them somehow." "You'll do both of those things, I'm sure. At least, the ones who matter will trust you. It seems like too many of this clan are predjudice because you're from SteelClan." his solid red eyes glared at Moonpaw, who was sitting on the far end of camp, by the Medicine Den. "Anyway, it's not your fault they don't trust you. There isn't anything wrong with you." "I'm starting to wonder if there is." Lakepaw glumly stared into the pool. "All I ever seem to bring is trouble. Duskpond tried to kill me, Sootstream hates me now, Moonpaw hates me MORE (as impossible as that seems), and Sugarpaw isn't even pretending to be my friend." Shadowpelt put his tail on her shoulder. She barely felt it. "It's their loss. Just focus on the firiends you have." "Friends?" "You have me." Lakepaw sighed, but smiled a bit. She was about to respond when she heard pawsteps behind her. "Are you talking to... yourself?" The apprentice jumped at the voice of Daisysong. "N-no!" Lakepaw jumped up and turned around. Daisysong raised an eyebrow, but decided not to pursue the subject. "Icestar wanted to see you." Lakepaw was even mroe startled. "R-really? Why?" "She didn't tell me, it's between you and her it seems." Daisysong meowed. But when Lakepaw turned to go towards Icestar's den, the older she-cat blocked the way with her tail. "Lakepaw, I've visited Sugarpaw just now." Lakepaw gulped. What would Sugarpaw's mentor have to say? "Sweetflag says the leg may heal over time, but the ear is damaged too badly to fix. she isn't sure how badly this will affect Sugarpaw's training." Daisysong spoke sadly, not even looking at Lakepaw. "... I try not to blame. But I also trust Sootstream and Duskpond, and their judgement." With that, she walked off. "...What's that supposed to mean?" Lakepaw wondered out loud. "Is she blaming you for what happened to Sugarpaw?" Shadowpelt's eyes were filled with rage. "Daisysong isn't the type to just stop trusting you for something she knows isn't your fault! Duskpond and Sootstream must have put her up to this." Lakepaw really wanted to mourn over the fact that she had evidently lost another one of the few cats who didn't hate her, but she was too excited. "What do you think Icestar wants?" Epilogue A skinny, white tom padded beside a small stream. He silently stared at a nearly invisiable wall, flashing at the other side of the stream. He jumped and glided much farther than he should have, landing at the other side of the stream. Slowly, he reached his paw to touch the wall. Surprisingly, it wasn't solid. Stepping through, the tom looked around. It seemed normal on the other side. He walked along the edge of the wall, recognizing the territory inside as WaterClan territory. Water... "Hey!" Startled by the voice, the tom leaped backwards, not feeling the spiky plant he stepped on. Searching for the source of the voice, he found four cats running down the side of the wall. Looking at it from this angle, the wall turned out to not be a wall at all but a dome. When they reached solid ground, the four cats split. Two of them, one a siamese she-cat and the other a ginger tabby she-cat, ran for the white tom. The other two, a gray tabby tom and a smaller black and gray tom, pounded agaisnt the dome with their paws. For some reason, the dome was solid for them. "We're from StarClan." the ginger she-cat explained. "I guessed." the white tom spoke, his voice raspy from misuse. "You have stars in your fur. But what are you doing, on the land in daylight? And showing yourself in front of one who is not of the clans." He put emphasis on the last six words. The two starry she-cats exchanged annoyed looks. "We need to get to our clans. Warn them of the trouble that is coming." the siamese she-cat spoke. "We can't with the dome up." The white tom looked over at the dome and blinked. "I can't remove the dome." "But you can bring a message." the siamese she-cat meowed. "And how can I give a message to the clans? You know why it won't work." "Please, find a way." the ginger she-cat stepped forward. "Warn then of the coming drought and the disaster the rain to end it will bring." "Grassbreeze, right?" the white tom said, seemingly ignoring the she-cat. "I remember your story. And Jewelstar as well. You fought for your clans. I hate the clans. But you just wanted to save lives. You did good, in the end." he nodded. "I will bring a cat out to your reaches. You can tell her yourselves." The End To be continued in the next story, Of Cold Droplets Category:Fanfiction